Missing Product key

Hi everyone,
I need some help here. A friend brought her gateway computer to my place to
see if I could fix it and when I startit up it asks me for the product key.
I tried using the system restoration cd but there is no code for the cd.
She said that when she had bought the computer from Gateway that they had
put all the cds in a cd holder book without any of the product keys. On the
cd it does have some letters and numbers thinking that maybe that could be
it but I was short some numbers and so on. Anyone Know how I could get the
info needed? Is there a way I can get into the computer one way or another
and get the info needed for to get the product key? the computer has
Windows 98 on it if that helps. Thanks.
Gidget

If you can boot the system then you can recover the Product Key from the
registry using a program such as Belarc Adviser or AIDA32
(http://www.aumha.org/downloads/aida32.zip) or by using Regedit and noting
the data for the value ProductKey found at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion

If you can't boot into Windows but your hard disk hasn't been formatted
then
you can try recovering the Product Key as follows:
a) Boot to DOS using a Boot Floppy and select 4) Minimal Boot
b) At the A:\ prompt, type the following with a return after each line.
The
spaces are important.

c:
cd windows
attrib -s -h system.dat
edit system.dat

Use Search | Find to find 'ProductKey'
The key used to install Windows should be to the immediate right of the
string ProductKey and of the form XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Bubbles wrote:

Hi everyone,
I need some help here. A friend brought her gateway computer to my
place to see if I could fix it and when I startit up it asks me for
the product key. I tried using the system restoration cd but there is
no code for the cd. She said that when she had bought the computer
from Gateway that they had put all the cds in a cd holder book
without any of the product keys. On the cd it does have some letters
and numbers thinking that maybe that could be it but I was short some
numbers and so on. Anyone Know how I could get the info needed? Is
there a way I can get into the computer one way or another and get
the info needed for to get the product key? the computer has Windows
98 on it if that helps. Thanks.
Gidget

Why are you posting to a Win ME group if the concern is Win98?

If Win98 is still running, get it from the Registry with Regedit.exe
The key is
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion
The value is ProductKey

As the above is unlikely to help if you can't get into Windows, try
this from a DOS boot:

C:\Windows\Command\Find /I "ProductKey" C:\Windows\System.dat

Note that the above command doesn't work on every Win98 installation.
It used to work for me but doesn't know but the ProductKey should be
in two files and you should be able to search either one, even if you
have to transfer one to another machine.
The other file is C:\System.1st and it won't be as big as System.dat

....Alan

--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windowsme.setup, Bubbles
wrote:

Hi everyone,
I need some help here. A friend brought her gateway computer to my place to
see if I could fix it and when I startit up it asks me for the product key.
I tried using the system restoration cd but there is no code for the cd.
She said that when she had bought the computer from Gateway that they had
put all the cds in a cd holder book without any of the product keys. On the
cd it does have some letters and numbers thinking that maybe that could be
it but I was short some numbers and so on. Anyone Know how I could get the
info needed? Is there a way I can get into the computer one way or another
and get the info needed for to get the product key? the computer has
Windows 98 on it if that helps. Thanks.
Gidget

AIDA32 has been obsolete for months. Use www.lavalys.com and get Everest
Home Edition.

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
If you can boot the system then you can recover the Product Key from the
registry using a program such as Belarc Adviser or AIDA32
(http://www.aumha.org/downloads/aida32.zip) or by using Regedit and noting
the data for the value ProductKey found at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion

If you can't boot into Windows but your hard disk hasn't been formatted
then
you can try recovering the Product Key as follows:
a) Boot to DOS using a Boot Floppy and select 4) Minimal Boot
b) At the A:\ prompt, type the following with a return after each line.
The
spaces are important.

c:
cd windows
attrib -s -h system.dat
edit system.dat

Use Search | Find to find 'ProductKey'
The key used to install Windows should be to the immediate right of the
string ProductKey and of the form XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Bubbles wrote:

Hi everyone,
I need some help here. A friend brought her gateway computer to my
place to see if I could fix it and when I startit up it asks me for
the product key. I tried using the system restoration cd but there is
no code for the cd. She said that when she had bought the computer
from Gateway that they had put all the cds in a cd holder book
without any of the product keys. On the cd it does have some letters
and numbers thinking that maybe that could be it but I was short some
numbers and so on. Anyone Know how I could get the info needed? Is
there a way I can get into the computer one way or another and get
the info needed for to get the product key? the computer has Windows
98 on it if that helps. Thanks.
Gidget

So? AIDA32 is available from the link I provided. Since all the user is
attempting to do is to recover their PID the version of the tool they use
and how old that tool might be is completely immaterial.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Jerry wrote:

AIDA32 has been obsolete for months. Use www.lavalys.com and get
Everest Home Edition.

Ok The gal that owns this comp had found the product key but it turned out
that it was the wrong one even though the computer took it. The product key
was for another computer that she had and since then she has found the
correct product key. So I need to get back in there and edit it some how
but I am unsure of how I do that. I've heard in how to do it before with my
search for finding the product key but I can't find the info any longer.
Does anyone here know how to do it? I don't want to send the computer home
with her untill this has been taken care of yet. I don't know if she/ or I
can get in trouble for the wrong product key being in there even if the key
was from another computer that she no longer has.

Thanks for any help. I have posted on the 98 windows servers but nothing
has come back yet for help yet so I am posting here for the fact that there
was such a fast response before.
Gidget








If you can boot the system then you can recover the Product Key from the
registry using a program such as Belarc Adviser or AIDA32
(http://www.aumha.org/downloads/aida32.zip) or by using Regedit and noting
the data for the value ProductKey found at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion

If you can't boot into Windows but your hard disk hasn't been formatted
then
you can try recovering the Product Key as follows:
a) Boot to DOS using a Boot Floppy and select 4) Minimal Boot
b) At the A:\ prompt, type the following with a return after each line.
The
spaces are important.

c:
cd windows
attrib -s -h system.dat
edit system.dat

Use Search | Find to find 'ProductKey'
The key used to install Windows should be to the immediate right of the
string ProductKey and of the form XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



Bubbles wrote:

Hi everyone,
I need some help here. A friend brought her gateway computer to my
place to see if I could fix it and when I startit up it asks me for
the product key. I tried using the system restoration cd but there is
no code for the cd. She said that when she had bought the computer
from Gateway that they had put all the cds in a cd holder book
without any of the product keys. On the cd it does have some letters
and numbers thinking that maybe that could be it but I was short some
numbers and so on. Anyone Know how I could get the info needed? Is
there a way I can get into the computer one way or another and get
the info needed for to get the product key? the computer has Windows
98 on it if that helps. Thanks.
Gidget

You have since been answered in another group with similar information
that you received here already but the question remains:
Why do you want to change the ProductKey? It will change nothing else.
If you feel you must change it, then:
Use Regedit.exe
The key is
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion
The value is ProductKey

The above information can still be seen in a previous response in this
thread.

....Alan

--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windowsme.setup, Bubbles
wrote:

Ok The gal that owns this comp had found the product key but it turned out
that it was the wrong one even though the computer took it. The product key
was for another computer that she had and since then she has found the
correct product key. So I need to get back in there and edit it some how
but I am unsure of how I do that. I've heard in how to do it before with my
search for finding the product key but I can't find the info any longer.
Does anyone here know how to do it? I don't want to send the computer home
with her untill this has been taken care of yet. I don't know if she/ or I
can get in trouble for the wrong product key being in there even if the key
was from another computer that she no longer has.

Thanks for any help. I have posted on the 98 windows servers but nothing
has come back yet for help yet so I am posting here for the fact that there
was such a fast response before.
Gidget








If you can boot the system then you can recover the Product Key from the
registry using a program such as Belarc Adviser or AIDA32
(http://www.aumha.org/downloads/aida32.zip) or by using Regedit and noting
the data for the value ProductKey found at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Cur rentVersion

If you can't boot into Windows but your hard disk hasn't been formatted
then
you can try recovering the Product Key as follows:
a) Boot to DOS using a Boot Floppy and select 4) Minimal Boot
b) At the A:\ prompt, type the following with a return after each line.
The
spaces are important.

c:
cd windows
attrib -s -h system.dat
edit system.dat

Use Search | Find to find 'ProductKey'
The key used to install Windows should be to the immediate right of the
string ProductKey and of the form XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX